FORSYTH, Ga. -- On December 8, about 50 offenders from CoreCivic’s Coffee Correctional Facility, graduated from the facility’s first welding and diesel maintenance programs. Half of the students graduated from the welding program and the other 25 students graduated from the diesel program. The Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) and CoreCivic have partnered with Wiregrass Georgia Technical College to offer the certification programs to offenders.

“Our goal is to make sure that the offenders learn skills on the inside that will help them become productive members of society when they are released,” said Commissioner Gregory C. Dozier. “I’m proud of the 50 students who made it through the first welding and diesel programs at the facility and I hope this training will help them find lucrative employment in the future.”

The welding and diesel maintenance programs were an addition to both Coffee Correctional Facility and Wheeler Correctional Facility, with the opening of the new Inmate Vocational Training Centers in January 2017. The facilities also provide training in masonry, carpentry, horticulture, office technology, CDL training, as well as high school equivalency education and life skills programs. Reentry is a core commitment for both CoreCivic and GDC. Research shows that offenders who receive education while incarcerated are 43% less likely to return to prison.

The GDC has one of the largest prison systems in the U.S. and is responsible for supervising nearly 52,000 state prisoners. It is the largest law enforcement agency in the state with approximately 10,500 employees.